Based on a novella of the same name by Stephen King, The Mist is a good horror movie with a lot of tension & darkness along with psychological effects of when people are pushed to the brink of death. The film is written and directed by Frank Darabont, who had previously adapted Stephen King’s works The Green Mile & The Shawshank Redemption. All the actors in this ensemble cast have done a find job including Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Samuel Witwer, Toby Jones, Nathan Gamble, Andre Braugher, and Frances Sternhagen. Although the movie has a different ending than the book, King was quite pleased with the movie’s ending.

After a violent storm in which a tree falls through and breaks a window to their house writer David Drayton, his wife Stephani & son Billy see an unusual mist across the lake from their house. The next day David & Billy go to the town for supplies giving their neighbour Brent a lift along the way. All across the community power has been lost, including at the huge supermarket where the three have gone to by supply. Suddenly a man comes running in with blood on his face, warning the people of something dangerous lurking in the oncoming mist. Everyone rushes into the store and the doors & windows are closed tight. However one man steps out to his car and soon his screams are heard.

After a set of tremors, Mrs. Carmody, a religious fanatic, starts to go on about the Armageddon and how God is punishing them for their sins. A crying woman says that she must get home to her two small children and seeing that no one is willing to help her, she ventures out on her own. Later while some of them are exploring the back of the store, a creature with huge tentacles attacks them through a partially opened shutter and drags off the bag boy. Scared the patrons & the staff start barricading the doors & windows with whatever they can find, including huge sacks of dog food. While trying to retrieve a shotgun from his car, another man is severed in half by an unseen creature.

By night a bunch of huge bugs, attracted by the store lights land on the store’s glass and pterodactyl-like animals pluck them off of the full-length windows, eventually breaking one and allowing the insects in. As a result two poeple die in the ensuing attack, and another  is badly burned. During the attack, an insect lands on Mrs. Carmody, but flies away instead of giving her a fatal sting. She makes a few other believe it to be a sign that God has designated her to lead the unfaithful to salvation – perhaps by a human sacrifice. David and a group of volunteers try to retrieve medical supplies for the severely burned Joe Eagleton from the pharmacy next door, but are attacked by spider-like creatures that spray acidic webbing that melts through clothing and flesh. The webbing kills Joe’s brother Bobby and Mike Hatlen. They discover a U.S. Army MP encased in webbing, along with other soldiers; he tries to warn them but his body suddenly bursts open and baby spider creatures flow out of his gutted body and begin feeding on the dead volunteers. Because of the failed expedition, Carmody’s following grows stronger, with a visibly shaken Jim becoming one of her most vocal advocates.

They find two soldiers who had committed suicide in the store and the 3rd soldier is beaten for an answer. Pleading for his life, the private reveals that the Arrowhead project – rumored to be an attempt to look into other dimensions – was the likely origin of the mist. At Carmody’s command, Jessup becomes a human sacrifice and is stabbed before he is thrown outside, where he is destroyed by an enormous, mantis-like creature. David and his group decide to make a break from the store in the morning, taking food and a weapon but are accosted by Mrs. Carmody and her followers who demand that Billy be made a sacrifice. The store’s assistant manager who is with David’s group shoots Carmody dead, stunning her followers and the group make a run for a car. On their way 3 are killed by the creatures and only David, his son, Amanda and 2 elderly people make it to the car. They drive away fending off some of the creatures but come to see only death & destruction.

David drives by his house and his wife dead and they head south, eventually running out of gas. David has the gun with just 4 bullets and the 4 adults decide that death by the gun is better than having to face the creatures. David volunteers to kill all 4 and saddened then opens the car door to face whatever creature may come by. A loud approaching noise turns out to be army vehicles with soldiers in suits and flame throwers. As the mist clears, several trucks, filled with soldiers and survivors, pass David. Among the survivors is the woman from the supermarket that no one would help, and her two young children. Realizing that they were that close to rescue and that he killed his own son, David falls to his knees, screaming, while two soldiers look on in confusion.

With that wicked, twisted ending the director has given a movie which rely more on the strengths of the actors rather than the CGI monsters (some of the effects are poor) and devoid of gore for the sake of gore, this is a movie that you can watch and enjoy. 8 outta 10.